The present invention relates to medical diagnostic apparatus. More particularly, it relates to a medical specimen culture bottle.
In the field of medical diagnostics, various conditions of a patient have been identified by the preparation of a blood sample in a culture medium, incubating the mixture, then determining presence and the growth rate of micro-organisms in the culture sample. A number of different arrangements have been made in an effort to provide an efficient, accurate, reliable and repeatable environment for the determination of bacterial growth. None have been entirely satisfactory. Many have not provided the capability of close control over the gas and liquid content of the culture bottle. None have provided a capability for the extraction of a subculture sample without removal of the bottle from the incubator-measuring apparatus. Few are sufficiently inexpensive to be disposable after a single use.